31st Annual Chocolate Festival February 2, 2013

Tickets
Now on Sale for the 31st Annual Firehouse Art Center Chocolate
Festival Slated for February 2, 2013

NORMAN, OK – Join visual art supporters
and chocolate lovers in celebrating the 31st anniversary of the
Chocolate Festival on February 2, 2013 from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the
National Center for Employee Development (NCED) Conference Center, at 2801
State Highway 9, East. During the event, vendors will offer thousands of
samples of delectable chocolate-inspired delights for those who wish to
purchase tickets, the proceeds of which will support Firehouse Art Center art
education programs. While the Chocolate Festival is the FAC’s only annual
fundraiser, it is the hope of the organization that the event will not only
raise funds, but also awareness of the visual arts and arts education in the
Norman community through the inclusion of the free art activities that take
place during the event.

Tickets for chocolate sampling may be
purchased online at the Firehouse website, normanfirehouse.com. Premiere tickets (10:30 – 11:30) offer
fifteen samples for $40, while Standard
tickets offer ten samples for $25 during later, half-hour sessions. After January
23rd, tickets will only be available in person or by phone at the
Firehouse Art Center, or at the door the day of the event.

Be sure to include the art activities in
your visit. There will be foil sculpting for families or adults and children to
try and ”Creative Cube” painting for children to design their own unique
vision. The art activities are free of charge and Chocolate Festival tickets
are not required to participate. Parents are encouraged to submit photos of
their child’s cube to the Firehouse Art Center’s Facebook page. The most “Liked” cubes will win one of three
scholarships in each age group. Firehouse faculty and University of Oklahoma
fine art students will assist children with their work. Instructors will be on
hand to demonstrate and discuss the children’s and adult art education programs
offered at the Firehouse Art Center and at local area schools.

The Firehouse Art Center’s Chocolate
Festival was voted “Best Food Festival” in the 2011 and 2012 Readers’ Choice
Awards from The Norman Transcript;
received “the Best of the Best 2011” as Best Charity Event from OklahomaMagazine; and won the 2009 Frontier Country Grand Award for
Outstanding Food Festival in Central Oklahoma. It has been ranked third among
food festivals in the U.S. by TV’s Food Network and has been featured in Southern Living and Bon Appetite magazines.

The Chocolate Festival is the Firehouse
Art Center’s only annual fundraiser and membership drive. All proceeds support
arts education, exhibits and programs offered to the community by the Firehouse Art Center. Find additional
information on the website, normanfirehouse.com.

ABOUT THE NORMAN FIREHOUSE ART CENTER – The Norman
Firehouse Art Center, Inc. is a non-profit organization that serves Norman and
surrounding communities by offering visual art classes for students of all
ages, as well as gallery exhibitions of the highest quality and original
artwork for purchase in the gift shop.